


fools gold

by ShirosRedKnight (SweetFanfics)



Series: Sheith Prompt Fills [39]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fill, Role Reversal, but they dont acknowledge it, i guess?, keith aware of it, keith is older than shiro, shiro high key subtly pining for keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 06:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8435749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetFanfics/pseuds/ShirosRedKnight
Summary: prompt: Can I request a role reverse for your Sheith prompts? Where Keith's older and went to Kerberos, getting captured by the Galra, and Shiro's younger and stayed on Earth and finding the energies that lead to the Blue lion?





	

“Congratulations by the way,” Shiro says, focusing on unwrapping the bandages around his hands.

 

On the bench next to him, the older man is doing the same. Keith huffs a tiny laugh, “Rumor mill works fast. When’d you find out?”

 

“Today. I heard its a mission to Jupiter?”

 

Lightly shaking his hand, Keith checks his knuckles before answering, “Nope. Kerberos. Some kind of research mission to gather samples.”

 

There’s a dry edge to his tone that implies Keith believes its too easy of a mission. Not the kind of thing he wants to start his career as a pilot off as. “Kerberos though. Should be cool.”

 

His pun makes Keith snort with genuine amusement, “Really cool.”

 

“Why pick this one? Didn’t you say you have your choice of missions?”

 

Which is true. Keith is graduating top of his batch with simulation scores no one else comes even close to matching. So why pick a simple research mission to the edge of their galaxy?

 

Keith hums, balling the tape up before shoving it into his gym bag. “It feels like the right choice.”

 

Shiro holds his breath when Keith turns, knee bumping against his own thigh as he reaches out to help Shiro. His hands are smaller but more deft. They're used to this process of applying and removing the protective tape and they make quick work of the bandages Shiro’s been taking his time on. Anything to extend their time together.

 

Calloused fingertips touch his bruised knuckles with care, “Don’t forget to ice this.” Shiro looks up and catches the proud smile Keith’s giving his hand. His breath catches audibly.

 

Dark eyes blink up at him. Keith lets go of his hand immediately, Adam’s apple bobbing.

 

Instead of holding his hand to retain the warmth of Keith’s hands, Shiro focuses on balling the bandages up, “How long is the mission?” 

 

“About seven months I think, if everything goes according to plan.”

 

“When are you leaving?” His voice thankfully stays steady even if his hands don’t.

 

There’s a pause, clear hesitation, before Keith answers carefully, “Launch day is three months away but I’ll be leaving the Academy for training in three days.”

 

 _‘That’s not enough time.’_ His brain adds the numbers together and realizes Keith’s going to miss his own graduation ceremony and dance. Shiro’s not going to be able to follow through his plan to confess his feelings to the older cadet. Twisting the bandages around in a lumpy ball, Shiro keeps his gaze lowered. He presses his lips together and holds back the black bile of his disappointment at bay.

 

Slim fingers come into his field of vision and cover his broader hand. Shiro doesn’t dare look up out of fear what his eyes will give away.

 

“It’s just a year," Keith says softly, "It’ll pass before you know it.”

 

Swallowing, Shiro nods and straightens his back. Forces himself to grin down at Keith, “Yeah. You're right.”

 

–

 

Something feels… off.

 

Holding the apparatus steady as the younger Holt carefully extracts the ice sample, Keith tries to pinpoint the cause behind the weird feeling in his gut. It’s not exactly nerves or anxiety. But it’s a sense that something isn’t as it should be. It’s a feeling that’s been growing the further away they get from Earth. But what’s causing this weird mix of trepidation and anticipation to roil in his stomach?

 

The answer arrives in the form of a giant war ship cresting the curve of Kerberos’ horizon.

 

There’s no chance for escape but Keith still tries. He shoves the Holt’s towards the ship, yelling at them to run before following. But it’s futile. Fuchsia colored light falls on them and pulls them on-board the alien ship.

 

The strong pull of the light coupled with the shocking realization that they’re not alone in the universe is enough to knock Keith out. When he comes too, they’re kneeling in a line in what looks like a command room. At least, Keith assumes its a command room.

 

There’s a tall armored figure standing with its back to them, talking to a shadowy figure on the screen.

 

“- was at the rendezvous point, as expected.”

 

“Excellent,” the shadow says, slow delight coloring its name. “Take the humans back to the main fleet for interrogation. The druids will find out what they know.”

 

“And Yurak?”

 

“Tell Sendak his son has returned triumphant.”

 

“As you command.”

 

Who are they talking about? What’s going on? What’s this sinking feel of dread rising up his throat? And why do those names sound so familiar? Like a long forgotten dream?

 

The figure turns around, thick quills running down its neck twitching when it notices Keith is awake. “Yurak. Stand up and present your report.”

 

Who the hell is Yurak?  _What_ the hell is this... being? Are aliens real? Did the Garrison know about this?

 

“Help him up,” the figure nods behind Keith.

 

Two pairs of hands grab him by the arms and hoist him to his feet. Bewildered, Keith isn’t sure where to look. At the soldiers behind him or the tall alien walking towards him. “Yurak. Report.”

 

“Who the hell is Yurak?” Keith manages to ask, voice shaking.

 

Yellow eyes narrow contemplatively. The alien shakes his head, “His programming is still in place. Take him back to Hagar as well. She’ll make sure he remembers who he is. I’ll inform his father.”

 

–

 

“Coast is clear,” Pidge whispers. “Lets go.”

 

With a nod, Shiro stuff the hard drive they’ve finished cloning into his bag before following the younger cadet out of the Commander’s office. After locking the door behind them, they sneak through the darkened corridors, past the few patrolling guards, and up to the rooftop where Lance and Hunk are waiting.

 

It’s only after Hunk has closed the access door behind them that Shiro exhales in relief.

 

“Did you get it?” Lance asks eagerly.

 

Shiro nods, hanging his bag over, “I can’t believe we managed to pull that off.”

 

“Lets hope it wasn’t all for nothing.” Pidge replies, holding a hand out for the hard drive.

 

Obediently, Lance digs into his bag and hands the drive over. Pidge immediately begins setting her space up, cracking her laptop open and waiting for it to boot up before connecting the hard drive. Hunk moves to sit next to her, pulling up his own laptop before clattering away at it.

 

“Whoa.” Pidge’s shocked exclamation has him leaning forward with interest. Did she find something? She scowling at the screen, glasses sliding down her nose, “That can’t be right.”

 

Crouching down, Shiro asks, “What’s up?”

 

“You remember that weird alien signal I told you about? The Voltron one? I’m picking it up again and it’s… going nuts.”

 

Shiro’s about to ask if she knows what that means when the speakers crackle. It’s a warning for the students to stay in their rooms. 

 

"What the hell?" he mumbles to himself, wondering what's going on. 

 

“Is that a meteor?” Hunk exclaims, pointing up at the sky.

 

They peer up at the glowing light heading their way. From this distance it sure looks it. But then Pidge yells, "It's a space ship!"

 

Lance steals her binoculars out of her grip, peering up at the skies, "That's not one of ours. I've never seen  _any_ ship like that. Here, take a look Shiro." 

 

Shock and awe dull his hearing, too overwhelmed by the sight of the alien ship burning through the atmosphere. Pidge and Lance enter into a quick debating whether or not its a foreign ship and Hunk frets that they ought go back to their rooms. Shiro however, continues to stare up at the ship. It's going to crash close to the Garrison facilities. And it's not like any ship Shiro's ever seen or heard off. His heart races at the possibility that _maybe_ it's an alien vessel. Somehow related to the Voltron signal Pidge has been tracking.

 

_Or what if it's that something the carvings in the cave talked about?_

 

Soon enough, there comes a point where the ship is easily visible _without_ the binoculars. Which is when Shiro’s racing to the edge of the rooftop, wanting a clear look at the crashsite. The ground and building shakes at the contact but they’re already moving, collecting their stuff and shoving it into their bags.

 

“Come on Hunk!” Lance helpfully stuffs their equipment into Pidge’s bag before pulling the larger teen up to his feet. With a groan, Hunk allows himself to be hefted up and together they leave the Academy to investigate the crash.

 

It takes them about an hour to find a good recon spot at the top of a high cliff. Unfortunately, in the same time the Galaxy Garrison teams have already covered the ship up under a containment shell. Shiro counts ten people, most of them in hazmat suits. Two officers on top of that and two guards at the door.

 

“Got it,” Pidge hisses in triumph. The trio huddle around her laptop, watching the camera feed burst to life.

 

Shiro feels his lungs turn cold and constrict painfully at the sight of the Garrison tech strapping a familiar figure to the table.

 

“That’s Keith Kogane!” Lance yelps next to him. Good to know Shiro isn’t hallucinating.

 

Pidge yanks a cord out of her laptop and immediately Keith’s voice pours out of the speakers.

 

“The Galra are coming! They’re going to arrive any minute and destroy everything!”

 

There’s no doubt about it. Shiro'd know that voice anywhere. It’s Keith alright.

 

Shiro jumps to his feet, gaze turning towards the falling ship. “We need to figure out how we’re going to save him.” There’s only one thing he can think of that could help them out right now.

 

He turns to Lance, “Feel up for leading a rescue mission in that lion we found in the mountains?”

 

Wicked delight fills Lance’s eyes at the same time Hunk moans, “This is such a bad idea!”

 

–

 

Their rescue is a success in the sense that they manage to save Keith. It’s a failure because the lion just flew them off the planet, destroyed an alien ship, and made them jump through some kind of wormhole.

 

“I got him,” Shiro tells Hunk, hefting Keith’s smaller body higher in his arms before making his way down and out of the lion.

 

Keith groans at being jostled. His eyes flutter as the warm sunlight of the alien planet hits his face. Shiro holds his breath. The light hits Keith’s eyes in such a way that there’s flecks of golden sparks glinting amidst the deep blue.

 

“Shiro?” Keith croaks. "Is that you?"

 

With a shaky smile, Shiro answers, “Hi Keith. Long time no see.”


End file.
